Achieving and maintaining optimal health for yourself and your unborn child during your pregnancy is essential for a healthy outcome. Adding therapeutic massage to your routine can help reduce stress, ease pain and discomfort and promote a more comfortable pregnancy.
A comprehensive maternity care plan should include regular visits to your healthcare provider, good nutrition and exercise and adequate rest. It should also include therapeutic massage to help relieve musculoskeletal pain and other common aches and pains associated with pregnancy. In fact, research has shown that women who received massage during their pregnancies had fewer complications and a lower incidence of low birth weight in newborns.
Incorporating safe massage into your maternity care plan is easy, but it does require some special considerations. First, you’ll want to be sure that your massage therapist is trained to perform safe and effective specialized pregnancy massages. You’ll also want to be sure that your healthcare provider knows that you’re getting a massage and how your body is changing as a result of your pregnancy.
The most common aches and pains that pregnant women experience are backaches, pelvic and hip pain, neck and shoulder pain, sciatica (pain that runs from the small of the back down the legs) and edema (swollen joints). Massage stimulates soft tissues to improve circulation to decrease swelling and edema. In addition, it improves the removal of tissue waste carried by the lymph system.
Women who receive a massage during their pregnancies have also reported a lower incidence of nausea, increased energy levels and more relaxed moods. Some studies have even found that a massage can alleviate the pain of labor.
A massage can be beneficial at any point in a woman’s pregnancy, but especially early on. In the first trimester, massage can help reduce morning sickness by addressing the hormonal imbalance that often causes it. It can also be helpful in the second trimester, when many women find that their backaches and musculoskeletal pain begin to develop as their center of gravity shifts forward.
Some massage techniques can be harmful for pregnant women, including resisted deep pressure to the abdomen. A qualified massage therapist will be able to recognize when a mom-to-be needs a lighter touch or to modify the pressure on her body to ensure safety. Massage has also been found to reduce anxiety and depression, both of which are normal feelings for expectant mothers. If you are looking for a prenatal massage services in Atlanta visit https://www.atlantachiropractor.net/.